Review of FLY ME TO THE MOON: Tackling Truth and Trust

July 12, 2024

Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) was the no-nonsense launch director of the Apollo 11 mission. Davis was a top-notch decorated military pilot himself, but was unfortunately disqualified from being an astronaut due to health reasons. He had been involved with NASA since the ill-fated Apollo 1 in 1967, for which he still felt so much remorse. He was pouring his whole heart and soul to make sure this planned moon landing would go on without a hitch.

Kelly Jones (Scarlett Johansson) was a pretty, bright and sassy advertising expert from New York City who had been hired to "sell" the Apollo 11 mission to the American public. It was the 1960s, and the Vietnam War was very much in the news. It was a challenge to drum up public support for the space program because a number of politicians objected to it, saying how this was a wasteful major expense for the American people. 

This movie written by Rose Gilroy (on her first feature-length screenplay) and directed by Greg Berlanti (former showrunner of "Dawson's Creek" and developer of several DC comics series on the CW from "Arrow" to "Superman & Lois"). From the get-go, it clearly followed the typical rom-com formula. Two protagonists with clashing personalities who were forced to work closely together, eventually falling in love, until a conflict arises.

The stakes of their fictional conflict were huge, as it involved the real-life Apollo 11 mission. The film not only claimed that Omega watches the astronauts wore was nothing more than a sponsorship x-deal, it also dared touch on a controversial conspiracy theory that the moon landing seen on TV was nothing more than a movie shot on a sound stage by a film crew and actors. This was entertaining, yes, but God forbid some viewers would believe this as fact.

The success of a rom-com depends on the romantic chemistry between its stars, and definitely it percolated between Tatum and Johansson. Johansson really played up her seductive character to the hilt, charming the socks off NASA's toughest critics. To this, Berlanti balanced in the goofiness of Jim Rash's film director, the mystery of Woody Harrelson's secret agent, plus the historic glory of Apollo 11, all in one fine and fun mix. 7/10.